Project Objective
To develop more productive ways of getting insights into "what works" in delivering good public services.

Project Development
Until 1997, Peter used "Post-it" notes and flipcharts to facilitate workshops and problem solving meetings and had experimented with IT based workshops. But he realised there was a much better way to do things when he saw a colleague using Pinpoint Facilitation™ in a consultation meeting with local people about a regeneration project. He went on a training course run by Pinpoint Facilitation™ and never looked back.

The technique spread quickly - people who came to Workshops liked Pinpoint Facilitation™ and wanted to use it themselves. The same pattern followed when Peter moved to the Audit Commission - where it was used extensively by the team that developed the inspection methodology for best value inspection.

It is now used routinely by research staff and inspectors. It has proved its worth as a quick, fun, inclusive way to get to the heart of an issue - whether in a workshop with experts, practitioners or local people.

Outcome
"Nothing has proved as effective as Pinpoint Facilitation™ Using conventional methods, it had proved difficult for us to:-

• get to the bottom of an issue
• avoid meeting time being hogged by windbags
• resolve differences in attitude, culture and working practices
• get contributions from the "quiet thoughtful ones"
• move from problems to solutions
• adapt and change the workshop focus to reflect the issues that emerge on the day

• make our time together work harder
• quickly map out the issues and get a shared understanding of the problem
• manage Groups' expectations more meaningfully
• listen to each others ideas
• have fun in the process!
• avoid having to "force" meetings to go where they do not want to go identify and solve problems quicker
• generate interaction, contribution - and acceptance
• encourage different ways of working together looking for positive improvements
• vary how we run each session, adapting it to the expectations of each Group